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Sweet Dreams for Avon

Kevin has scored the new Avon Dreams fragrance commercial for Leagas Delaney with a delicate, haunting song co-written with vocalist Helen Hamilton formerly of London band Death Rattle. Directed by Kathi Prosser via The Sweet Shop, it first airs from February 1st across Eastern Europe and South Africa and then online worldwide.

The Right Time for Patek Philippe

The world’s finest handmade watches deserve music of equal distinction; Kevin’s beautiful, timeless composition ‘Tick Tock’ emphasises the emotions in Patek Philippe’s new Global Generations film. Tender scenes of a parent and child in a variety of cultures – London, Geneva, Tokyo, Shanghai and New York – demonstrate “You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation.”

‘Eclectronica’ Score for hit show Ordinary Lies

This new six-part series from writer Danny Brocklehurst (Shameless, The Driver) has been getting excellent reviews and a passionate response from millions of viewers. Directed by John McKay and Juliet May, and produced for Red Productions by Tom Sherry, it examines the lives – and lies – of the staff at a used car-dealership somewhere in the north of England. A superb cast of familiar faces including Max Beesley, Jo Joyner, Sally Lindsay, Mackenzie Crook, Jason Manford and Michelle Keegan feature in these modern morality tales. Kevin performed much of the highly-original score himself, which combines mandolin, ukelele, bouzouki, autoharp, boomwhackers and banjo with synthetic textures in what he calls ‘eclectronica’.

Double BAFTA Nomination for The Wrong Mans

Best Scripted Comedy

The Wrong Mans Series Two has been nominated for two BAFTAs. Not only have Mathew and James have been recognised in the Comedy Writer category, but the series has received a nomination for Best Scripted Comedy. Congratulations to director/producer Jim Field Smith and all the talented contributors involved.

Bumper BBC Christmas

There’s no escaping Kevin’s music this Christmas.

The Wrong Mans returns for two new sixty-minute episodes at 9pm on BBC2 on December 22nd and 23rd. Sam and Phil find themselves trapped on a witness protection scheme near the Texas border and need all their ingenuity to get back home. The score was recorded and mixed at Kevin’s home studio with Steve Parr engineering.

Steve Pemberton (The League of Gentlemen, Happy Valley) has adapted E F Benson’s much-loved Mapp & Lucia books for BBC1, airing on 29th, 30th and 31st December at 9pm. Kevin wrote the major character themes before even seeing a frame of film. The orchestra was recorded over three days at Angel Studios with Gary Thomas and Steve Price, and mixed at Kevin’s home studio by Steve Parr. There are plans afoot for an orchestral suite from the score.

With an impressive supporting cast including Dougray Scott and Nick Moran and directed by BAFTA & Emmy-nominated Jim Field Smith (Episodes), the story follows two lowly but well-meaning council workers who stumble into a vicious gangland conspiracy.

It marks the first co-production between BBC and US web TV channel Hulu.

Silva Screen Release The Hour Soundtrack

Excited to announce that Kevin’s Bafta-nominated music from the second series of the highly-acclaimed 1950s newsroom drama has been released on CD and download by film music specialists Silva Screen. The release also features Daniel Giorgetti’s title cues and songs from the El Paradis Club performed by Hannah Tointon. The CD package includes a handsome illustrated booklet with full musician credits. The project was coordinated beautifully by Danny Layton at Shine.

BAFTA Nominations for The Hour

Best Original Music

Extremely proud that series two of The Hour has gained four nominations in the BAFTA Television awards 2013: Best Sound, Editing, Production Design and for Kevin’s work in Original Music. Peter Capaldi (pictured here with Anna Chancellor – Photo: Kudos/BBC) is nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Randall Brown, as well as a second nomination for his performance in The Thick of It.

We’ll Take Manhattan

Prix Europa and Music & Sound Awards

Thrilled to report that John McKay’s television film has won the coveted Prix Europa in Berlin for Best European Drama of 2012. At London’s recent Music & Sound Awards Kevin’s score for the film was nominated in two categories, Best Score and Best Title Sequence. (Photo: Kudos/BBC)

The Hour Series Two

Enter Kiki

So thrilled that series two of this intelligent 1950s newsroom drama from brilliant writer Abi Morgan (The Iron Lady, Shame) has been nominated for the Golden Globe as Best Miniseries/TV Film by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The stylish show from Kudos (Hustle, Spooks) has been getting a great reaction from press and public. This is Kiki’s Theme from episode one, featuring the vocal of Helen Hamilton from excellent new London band Death Rattle. Soundtrack gets an iTunes release soon too. There’s a post from me on the BBC blog and some more music clips.

A little bit more about me …

Few musicians can claim to have performed as soloist in piano concertos with a national orchestra on an internationally released CD, and also opened shows for The Ramones. Kevin Sargent can.

Whether it’s his stylish, 1950s jazz-inflected scores for The Hour, which won him a BAFTA nomination, and We’ll Take Manhattan, or timeless lyricism for Wiliam Boyd’s story of the Sonnets, A Waste of Shame, Kevin’s artful, memorable music never fails to lift the work it serves.

He has a rare ability of distilling the very spirit of any project; his deceptively simple score was inseparable from Lilies, Heidi Thomas’ cult 1920s-set BBC drama serial . He also conjured a magical score for her adaptation of Noel Streatfield’s much-loved 1930s tale, Ballet Shoes.

Killing Joe was an Academy Award Nominee as Best Live Action Short Film, while his haunting and melancholy score for A Waste of Shame was nominated for the prestigious Ivor Novello Award by the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters.

With his wide background, Kevin in equally at home in contemporary styles, scoring several of the BBC’s recent literary updatings: a wry, chilling Macbeth starring James McAvoy, and the Miller’s and Sea Captain’s of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. He has also scored two series of Blue Murder for Granada, Honest for Greenlit, and David Nicholls’ bittersweet Aftersun.

As an accomplished, classically-trained pianist, Kevin earned acclaim for his recordings of the Malcolm Arnold double piano concertos with the Ulster Orchestra for Naxos and broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

Kevin began his professional career as drummer, percussionist and keyboardist with highly influential dance-rock band Thrashing Doves.

Signed to A&M and later Elektra Records, he learnt at the elbow of legendary producers Chris Thomas, Jimmy Iovine and jazz luminary Tommy Lipuma, recording three critically-acclaimed albums with the band in Los Angeles, London and New York and touring the US and Europe.

With music, I usually reckon on either
the process or the result being rewarding.
With Kevin, it’s both.

Lee Thomas, Pipedream Pictures

Kevin has also forged an enviable reputation in commercials. His work for Barclays, featuring Sir Anthony Hopkins and directed by the late Tony Scott, was rewarded with top honours from both the D&AD and Creative Circle. Adidas’ Tim Henman saw him a finalist in the British Television Advertising Awards for Best Original Music.

Kevin has rightly gained a reputation as a gifted composer for all media, whose versatility and passion is reflected in memorable music of genuine individuality, taste and heart.